Zhao Lin waited a moment for the Iron Spike Lizard’s Essence Soul to rise.

The Spirit Beast Scroll in his mind began to tremble.

’Strange, this thing has a special ability too?’

Zhao Lin was taken aback. Seeing the Iron Spike Lizard on the grass change from bluish-gray to emerald green, he understood at once. 𝙧𝙚𝙚𝔀𝒆𝓫𝓷𝙤𝓿𝒆𝙡.𝒄𝙤𝓶

The Iron Spike Lizard’s special ability was camouflage; it could blend into its surroundings with incredible speed.

’This special ability...’

Zhao Lin shook his head. This ability was completely useless to him.

’Setting aside how effective the camouflage might be, people have to wear clothes. I can’t possibly run around naked everywhere just for the sake of stealth.’

’If I really needed to conceal my movements, some camouflage gear would do the trick. There’s no need to rely on changing my skin color.’

Zhao Lin let its Essence Soul ascend, unmoved.

Once the Iron Spike Lizard was dead, the scent of blood spread. Zhao Lin sprinkled a special powder on its wounds to avoid attracting other wild beasts.

He carried his prize down the mountain and returned home. His older brother, Zhao Shan, had just come back from the fields. He saw the Iron Spike Lizard and jumped in shock. "Brother, what is this thing? It’s horrifying!"

After the spring plowing, Zhao Shan had stopped weaving bamboo and returned home to farm.

It couldn’t be helped; the values instilled in him since childhood meant he could never truly abandon the family’s few acres of land.

"This is an exotic beast, isn’t it? I hear the meat is delicious, but you can’t eat the organs," his father remarked, glancing at the Iron Spike Lizard.

"Father’s right, it’s an exotic beast. Ordinary people can’t eat the organs, but since I practice martial arts, I can."

As Zhao Lin spoke, he skinned the Iron Spike Lizard, used a boning knife to separate the meat, and placed the organs in a large basket.

When it was time to cook, he made sure to stew the organs in a separate pot.

Zhao Lin first ate some of the beast’s meat with his family. The taste was indeed excellent. When he was about half-full, he picked up a piece of the exotic beast’s liver.

The moment he put the liver in his mouth, he was hit by a bizarre taste, like that of a leaking gas canister.

Zhao Lin forced himself to chew and swallow the meat. Soon after, a fiery heat bloomed in his abdomen.

Instantly, the first and second compartments of the Spirit Beast Scroll filled with black and white smoke.

’The white mist, as before, is the Primordial Qi from the food. The black mist, then, must be the poisonous Evil Qi.’

Zhao Lin stared nervously at the Spirit Beast Scroll. He didn’t dare take another bite, waiting to see what would happen.

The Spirit Beast Scroll flickered with red light, seemingly struggling to digest and absorb the new substance. Zhao Lin, however, felt no discomfort.

Gradually, the black mist faded while the white mist grew thicker and thicker until it condensed into a milky-white liquid.

’This Primordial Qi is so dense!’

A thought struck Zhao Lin. ’It seems the Spirit Beast Scroll really can extract and absorb the Primordial Qi from an exotic beast’s organs while filtering out the poisonous Evil Qi.’

The Primordial Essence Liquid flowed out from the Spirit Beast Scroll. Zhao Lin felt his body swell as every pore opened. The power driving his body’s evolution was far stronger than anything he had ever experienced.

’So the Spirit Beast Scroll has this benefit too! This is way more potent than the concoctions the Liuhe Sect provides!’

Overjoyed, Zhao Lin couldn’t resist picking up another large piece of organ and eating it.

Before long, both compartments of the Spirit Beast Scroll were filled with "milk."

The potent Primordial Qi made Zhao Lin’s blood boil. His bones began to vibrate, letting out a faint humming sound.

Zhao Lin didn’t dare to eat any more, fearing that something might go wrong if he overdid it.

"What’s that sound?" Zhao Shan asked, looking at his brother in surprise.

"My stomach is upset."

Worried he might lose his composure, Zhao Lin quickly excused himself to his parents and ran out of the house. He found a secluded spot and quietly waited to digest the Primordial Qi.

When he returned home, his parents and brother all thought he looked taller and stronger.

...

SSSHHH!

In the courtyard of the Liuhe Sect, a furnace fire blazed.

The iron sand in the wok billowed with smoke, and the air above it shimmered and distorted from the heat.

Zhao Lin stood before the furnace, quickly plunging both hands into the scalding iron sand.

Even though his hands had already shed their skin four times, they still screamed with a burning pain.

"HSS... HA... HOO... SSS... FFF... HEE..."

With each sharp exhalation, Zhao Lin’s palms reddened, swelled, and enlarged. His Qi and Blood surged, and layers of skin began to peel away.

"Push harder! Don’t stop now! Break through to the First Layer of the Power Realm in one go!" Zhu Huaishan shouted sternly.

The disciples and apprentices watching had varied expressions: some showed surprise, others envy, and a few couldn’t conceal their jealousy.

Zhao Lin had joined the Liuhe Sect a little over four months ago, and he was already about to break through to the First Layer of the Power Realm. Such speed was simply beyond their comprehension.

Even Chu Liu, the most talented disciple before him, had taken half a year to break through. Zhao Lin was a full month and a half faster!

Skin tempering was the first great hurdle on the martial path. Some people never managed to break through in their entire lives. Even for those who did, it usually took nine to ten months, sometimes even a full year.

The fact that Zhao Lin was half a year faster than average wasn’t the most shocking part. What was truly astonishing was the talent it implied.

If he could temper his skin half a year faster than others, then his bone tempering would be faster too. He could overcome hurdles that others couldn’t; that was his advantage.

Of course, they didn’t know that Zhao Lin had only achieved this by relying on the two Essence Souls within his Spirit Beast Scroll, which had fundamentally altered his constitution.

"Slow your movements. Be patient," Zhu Huaishan encouraged.

Several disciples watched Zhao Lin with envy. Their master was always unflappable in their memory, so they were surprised to see him so stirred today.

In truth, when Zhao Lin had first joined, Zhu Huaishan had only thought he was a bit stronger than average, not particularly outstanding in any other way.

But Zhao Lin had placed fifth in their very first sparring competition, which made him see the boy in a new light. Moreover, he could sense that Zhao Lin’s innate talent had grown stronger since he had first joined.

This surprised Zhu Huaishan and, at the same time, made him start paying special attention to Zhao Lin.

He normally only taught the inner disciples martial arts in the rear courtyard, but he had made a special trip to the front yard for the past few days because he’d noticed Zhao Lin was on the verge of a breakthrough.

Sweat poured down his face. Zhao Lin gritted his teeth against the pain and did as Zhu Huaishan said, rhythmically thrusting his hands into the iron sand, again and again. His hands felt as if they were wrapped in a layer of tough leather, and they gradually went numb.

After about the time it takes to drink a cup of tea, Zhao Lin faintly heard a POP. His palms suddenly turned a shocking, bloody red.

He turned over his palm and saw a new, cyan vertical line in its center.

"He’s succeeded at skin tempering!" Yuan Cheng exclaimed in delight.

Zhao Lin let out a long sigh of relief.

"Congratulations," Sun Xiaofan said, stepping forward first to offer his praise. But his smile was tinged with bitterness.

He had been practicing skin tempering for a year, shedding his skin four times, but no matter how hard he tried, the fifth time just wouldn’t come.

There were sixteen apprentices in the Liuhe Sect, and a third of them were still stuck on skin tempering. Seeing Zhao Lin break through so quickly filled them with complex emotions.

"Very good. You are the second person I have seen succeed in skin tempering within five months,"

Zhu Huaishan said approvingly.

’The second?’

’I’m only this fast because I have a cheat ability,’ Zhao Lin thought. ’To think someone else could do it too.’

"Although you’ve succeeded with the skin tempering, there are still some finishing touches."

Zhu Huaishan instructed, "The shedding process involves the entire body. Your hands have succeeded. Now, continue to use the iron sand to temper the rest of your body. In about three to five days, the skin all over will have shed. Only then will your success be complete."

"This disciple understands."

Zhao Lin replied, while in his heart, he said to the Spirit Beast Scroll, ’The credit is all yours!’